Thankfulness for What God Has Already Done!

Proverbs 15:8 New International Version

8 The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked, but the prayer of the upright pleases him. New International Version

Proverbs 21:27

27 The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable— how much more so when brought with evil intent!

Psalm 51:16-17 New International Version

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. 17 My sacrifice, O God, is[a] a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

Friday - June 11

What is wrong with Cain’s sacrifice? We have already seen his sinful heart that had rejected God’s grace and abandoned any sense of guilt or shame. In the Old Testament, God often required sacrifices from the Israelites. However, the sacrificial system led to a very big problem. Sin blinded people to what God was doing. Like Cain, many people used sacrifices to manipulate and control God. They believe that their sacrificial actions could control the uncontrollable. In other words, sacrifices were used as a way to force God into giving a blessing as if God owed us for our hard work and good effort. Instead, sacrifices were meant to remind us that we are NOT God and we are not in control. A true sacrifice is one of thanksgiving for what God has already done and has promised to do in the future.